Orland Park Library Director fails in Reading Comprehension –

Library Director (Mary Weimar) and their spokesman (Bridget Bittman) were the featured speakers at a “Crisis Communications Workshop” that was held on December 17th, 2013. We found the website posting about this after the fact, after it already happened. The Illinois Library Association and the American Library Association also took part.
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The goal was to get the word out to other libraries about the public relations “crisis” the OPPL has been experiencing, because the ALA apparently believes it is part of some bigger effort to bring down all libraries, which is completely untrue. This has been a common theme among a variety of public bodies when they start to field questions from the public – “You are just trying to destroy the County, City, Library, Water District, (insert any other name here)”. The real point is that they must follow the law, the same as everyone else, and they must realize that they work for the public – not the other way around.
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So, the ILA, the ALA, Weimar, and Bittman have a big event that’s a video conference on 12/17/13 to talk about Kevin and Megan (FOIA Requestors) and to teach other libraries how to destroy their critics and thwart document production and all the other things that the Orland Park Public Library has been doing, with Weimar and Bittman being used as examples of how people should be treated when they dare question the library. That is like sending Rod Blagojevich out on a speaking tour and having him talk to government agencies about how to act ethically in office.
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The Library has been lying and hiding all documents related to that December 17th event. They claim they have no emails, letters, faxes, NOTHING involving planning, confirming, setting up, participating in, or orchestrating that event. That’s just not believable. There is a ton of paperwork that goes into every single event that happens involving any public body. These people love forms.
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You mean to tell me for this one event that they suddenly decided to not do their usual habits of confirming and reconfirming and sending everything out in triplicate?  Also, these people are big on patting themselves on the back for everything. You mean to tell me that after this event the people who participated didn’t network and send thank you emails or even cards in the mail praising and thanking Weimar and Bittman?
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Back in March, Kevin asked them in a FOIA for all these documents and on 3/18/14 the Library claimed it had no documents responsive to the FOIA. Now the AG is investigating it.
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<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">All records</span> in the custody or possession of a public body are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">presumed to be open</span> to inspection or copying. Any public body that asserts that a record is exempt from disclosure has the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that it is exempt.</span>All records in the custody or possession of a public body are presumed to be open to inspection or copying. Any public body that asserts that a record is exempt from disclosure has the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that it is exempt.